Chapter 38 Flames in the Oven (3)
Reason for stepping back.
It’s not simply because the cost of protest is scary.
Hendrick would stick with what he thought was right, but now he realized what mistakes he had made.
‘Hendrick, Hendrick. What the hell have you done?’
Moment.
Old memories came alive.
Hendrick, who is called Master Blacksmith, also had an apprenticeship.
At that time, he chose to make a living rather than a sense of mission as a blacksmith, as he does now, and worked day and night to establish himself as a formal blacksmith as soon as possible.
Beating was commonplace.
Today’s Dmitri has done away with the bad habits of the past, but in the days when Hendrik was learning his job, the bruises never went away.
One day.
A mercenary came to the forge.
The mercenary, who had just begun to break away from being a man, took only 1 silver and asked to sell his sword.
“I know very well that money is not enough to buy a useful sword. However, this is all my property, and if you sell the sword, I will pay you back dozens of times later. I have a family to support. All I have is a strong body, so I really need a weapon to make money.”
It was a common occurrence.
People who had neither land to farm nor any special skills jumped into the mercenary work, believing only in their bodies.
It was the same case.
The master of the blacksmith wasn’t compassionate enough to give his sword to a man he saw for the first time, so he cursed at the mercenary and kicked him out of the blacksmith’s.
At that time, the back of the mercenary was truly miserable.
Hendrick could not stand still as he looked at the drooping shoulders carrying the burden of his family on his shoulders.
sneaking up on the master.
Hendrick followed the mercenary.
Then, without paying anything in return, he gave him the first sword he had made without his master’s knowledge.
happy.
Seeing the mercenary shedding tears and expressing his gratitude, Hendrick thought that this might be his happiness as a blacksmith.
It was the first time he felt proud of his job, and Hendrick, who returned to the forge, immersed himself in his work with the desire to make a better sword.
But after 1 month.
Facing the mercenary’s corpse, Hendrick felt the world collapse.
Behind the sobbing family, people told why the mercenary had died.
“This time, he was entrusted with escorting the guild and died. Poor poor boy. If only his sword hadn’t been broken in the process of dealing with the thieves, he would have been able to come back alive like the others. This is why you should use good weapons.”
“I know. Everyone else is fine, but I heard he’s the only one dead?”
My heart sank.
My hands and feet trembled.
An act he thought was a favor put a mercenary’s life to death.
A sense of wonder arose.
Only then did I understand why Master said it was still too soon, but no matter how fast I regretted it, I couldn’t undo the reality in front of me.
That’s how Hendrick lived as a disabled person for a while. If it had not been for the help of his close friend, Baron Romero, he would not have been able to return to the forge.
Hendrick vowed to never repeat this kind of thing again in pain, and was able to overcome such a painful past and grow into Master Blacksmith.
however.
I made the same mistake now as then.
Feeling complacent about not wanting to go to war with this on the outskirts just because he didn’t like Roman, Hendrick forgot his past mistakes, albeit briefly, and repeated the mistakes he regretted countless times.
‘It’s really pathetic.’
The excuses didn’t work.
For whatever reason, as Roman pointed out, an innocent man almost died from the rubbish he handed over.
swallowed the horse
Didn’t make excuses.
If Roman punishes.
Whether it was the price of protest or some other punishment, I was willing to accept it.
“I will pay for my actions.”
“Master!”
At Hendrick’s words, the blacksmiths dissuaded them with bewildered faces.
They couldn’t accept the current situation.
Hendrick was their sky, but he couldn’t be punished by Baron Romero or Roman Dmitri.
Roman gripped the hilt.
Hendrick looked up at Roman’s face, waiting for punishment.
That moment.
Roman and I met eyes.
“If you regret your wrongdoing to that extent, I will not ask you further. Let’s get back to the point. I know Master Hendrick is a great blacksmith. Therefore, I would like arms to arm 30 soldiers.”
Roman’s words.
Hendrick’s pupils shook greatly at this unexpected remark.
He was an absurd boy.
Until just now, when I acted like I was going to eat it right away and got the momentum, I rather didn’t ask for responsibility.
Roman knew.
Hendrick.
in his position.
How difficult it is to admit one’s mistakes in front of his followers.
‘Anyone can make mistakes. At least, if the mistake is something that can be redeemed, you can get another chance by repenting.’
Eupchammasok (泣斬馬謖).
When he swallowed his sorrow and cut off the head of his subordinate, it was a decision he made when that mistake was absolutely unacceptable.
It was different from now.
Hendrick is a person who has a bad relationship with Roman, and he only took timid revenge without thinking about what would happen with his judgment.
If he hadn’t shown any remorse, he might have judged it as malice, but at least Hendrick knew what was right and what was wrong.
‘Rewards and punishments should not contain emotions.’
It was Baek Joong-hyeok’s iron rule, and he always acted according to that iron rule.
Roman said.
“As I said before, I don’t think Master Hendrick deliberately tried to protest. It’s probably because of the antipathy towards me, and I fully understand that feeling. So, I want them to put their mistakes aside. All I want is a sword and armor to protect the lives of my soldiers.”
It was stick and carrot.
After swinging the whip until his skin turned red, Roman presented the carrot with a subtle eloquence.
Roman’s attitude.
Hendrick admired it again.
‘Roman has changed.’
I heard it by rumor.
In particular, I was somewhat aware of the reputation around me that this recruiting had really changed.
But seeing it in person was different.
Hendrick, who had been ignoring the truth, finally saw Roman’s true face.
It was different from before.
Roman, who had dirty and cloudy eyes, became a strong man, and the charisma that comes from his sharp eyes made my heart tremble.
It’s not just about changing your appearance.
From one to ten, Roman was different from his past to the extent that he could be thought of as a completely different person.
How is this possible?
Obviously, there are traces of Roman, who was called Dmitri’s fool, but it could not be called Roman at that time.
A layer of prejudice was peeled off.
Admitted.
Roman has changed and today’s work is his own mistake.
It was unacceptable that he, who had countless regrets about the past, handed over trash out of personal feelings.
Hendrick said.
“… Again, I’m really sorry about this incident. In the future, no matter what happens, I won’t do something like this again. And as an apology, I will prepare weapons and armor made of the finest iron that Dmitri boasts for your soldiers.”
After all the fuss,
Roman decided to receive the goods later and left the smithy.
In the process, he heard about Hendrick’s circumstances through another blacksmith.
“The sword that Master Roman stole that day was Master Hendrick’s masterpiece. It took six months to conceive, and it was a masterpiece that was finally completed after living in a forge for three months. But since he sold it to a street vendor at a bargain price, it was natural for him to be angry. What Master Hendrick was really angry about was that the masterpiece he created was sold at a bargain price without finding its owner, rather than the fact that Master Roman stole it and sold it.”
I got it.
Why is Hendrick angry?
Why did he throw garbage to Roman even though he knew it was against the spirit of craftsmanship?
Roman from his previous life crossed the line.
An unforgivable mistake.
Maybe that’s why, before leaving for the last time, Hendrick said this to Roman.
“I have not completely forgiven you for this. I’ll do your favor because I’m wrong, but I still can’t accept that the eldest son of the Dmitri family neglected the blacksmith work. keep in mind That Dmitri’s roots are in the forge. In the future, if the day comes when you can make at least a trashy sword with your own hands, then it might be an opportunity to see you again.”
Hendrick was stubborn.
Although it was said that the prejudice was removed through this incident, Roman was not recognized as Dmitri’s successor.
however.
Even Hendrick made a misjudgment.
‘The Roman Dmitri that Hendrick remembers must have been an idiot who had no interest in blacksmithing. Garbage that ignores family origins and only enjoys pleasure. It’s understandable why Dmitri’s people hate him. but.’
Baek Joong-hyeok.
he was different
“From now on, let’s prepare for the departure.”
took a step
This outing had one more purpose.
* * *
The place where Roman arrived.
It was a workshop where I practiced closing.
At that time, the old and shabby workshop was neatly organized to the point where it was okay to work right away.
immediately after deciding to go to war.
Roman told Hans to make this place usable for its intended purpose.
“long time no see.”
Shuk.
Walked inside and checked the surroundings.
It was a good place.
The ceilings were high, so ventilation was good, and the lighting properly separated the areas to be lit from those to be dark.
Ventilation is basically a necessity in a forge.
Smoke and dust from coal fires obstructed the view, so when checking a smithy suitable for work, ventilation was the first priority.
after that.
I saw familiar objects.
A fire pit to boil hot.
A cold, heavy-looking anvil and an oak stand supporting it.
And hammer and tongs and so on.
It was something I had seen in Hendrick’s workspace, but this moment came to be special for Roman.
‘It reminds me of the first day.’
first.
The day I started my life as Roman.
While listening to Dmitri’s history in a shabby shack, Roman thought that this might be his destiny.
Heavenly Demon Baek Joong-hyeok.
Moorim’s history simply describes him as the first in the world, but those who are even a little interested in him could see a different side of Baek Joong-hyeok.
That’s what this smithy looked like.
Baek Joong-hyeok always visited the blacksmith immediately after making up his mind to join the military and performed his own ritual.
life of struggle.
to survive.
to win.
And to reign.
Baek Joong-hyeok expressed his soul in front of the hot flames.
Hwareuk.
Roaring.
lit a fire in the furnace.
From now on.
It was his turn to make a sword just for himself in preparation for the future war.
